UFC 132's Chris Leben doesn't like fighting, despite all evidence to the contrary

http://mmajunkie.comChris Leben will be the first to tell you he doesn’t have issues; he’s got subscriptions.

Fighting used to be something that not only gave him the opportunity to prove himself, but maybe – just maybe – unburden himself of those issues in the most physical way possible.

That was years ago, though. A decade after getting into the sport, he’s mellowed, and he fights for different reasons, as he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

“It’s more to inspire my kids at my gym and say, ‘If I can do it, you guys can do it, too,'” Leben (21-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) said during a teleconference in support of his co-headlining fight with Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) at UFC 132, which takes place July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “As long as my body is going to let me, I don’t see why I wouldn’t (fight) because I see how much motivation it gives a lot of the people around me.”

A chance to face Silva, a former PRIDE champion and a longtime idol, has given him incentive to continue on an uncertain path. That Silva is who he is? Well, it sure makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning.

“There’s nothing more motivating than the fear of a coma,” Leben said with a laugh. “Honestly, I’m so excited to fight Wanderlei. He’s one of my heroes.

“Believe it or not – I really don’t want to tell him this – but he’s one of the reasons I started. When I very first started fighting, I used to go get bootleg PRIDE videos and watch them, and in some ways try to emulate some of the stuff he did.”

And in many ways, Leben has. He’s been through several slugfests in his career and concussed many an opponent. He’s also kept a brisk pace. In 2010, he fought two fights within a month of each other. It was perhaps the most triumphant time of his career; he TKOd Aaron Simpson at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale and submitted Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 and won performance bonuses to match.

Then his path took another rocky turn when he returned the cage at UFC 125 against Brian Stann and was knocked silly in the first round. Like Silva, he’s embraced a hyper-aggressive style that gives him just as much of a chance of getting knocked out as his opponent. Consequently, both have had some pretty wild swings in their respective careers.

Leben’s spirit, however, hasn’t gone unnoticed. Silva requested a fight with him after seeing his victory at UFC 116. The veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 1″ said it was “awesome” to hear that and said it’s another reason to keep fighting.

What exactly is at stake in the bout is uncertain. A title certainly isn’t within striking distance of either fighter, though the winner could build toward that goal. Leben is coming off a loss and Silva a long layoff. If anything, the bout offers the promise of a slugfest between two guys who love to go swing for the fences.

Leben admits that’s a scary prospect, no matter what kind of reputation he’s built over the years. But the chance to do it against Silva is worth the risk.

“For me to be able to fight one of my heroes, man, I’m so stoked,” Leben said. “It’s the passing of a torch is what I’m hoping for, and a little fear is good. I might be a little worried, but I’m going to get in there and do what I do because that’s what we do. We look it in the eye. We look our issues in the eye and then we conquer them.”

As it is with anyone who’s been in the sport as long as Leben has, there’s always a question mark as to how long the body – and mind – will hold up. Leben doesn’t have that answer. He does, however, still have the desire to prove himself.

Work out his issues? He has a counselor for that now. (After his UFC 125 loss, he paid a visit.) MMA is a profession, and certainly one that’s up and down. But not one worth quitting.

“I’ll be honest with you: I don’t like fighting,” Leben said. “I love the training and everything else, but the day of the fight, anybody that says they really love it is probably lying to you.

“But there’s so many benefits that go along with what we do that, right now, I don’t see myself throwing in the towel.”